Favorite Food: Her favorite foods are poisonous: chocolate,
salmon, and hand lotion. Therefore, we feed her Flint River Ranch.

Favorite Activities: She loves to
play "soccer ball" with her pack (pictured) plus our neighbor Border Collie,
Star (not pictured). Soccer ball is a game the dogs invented. As many
humans as possible form a large circle and attempt to kick a soccer ball
back and forth to each other without any dogs touching it first. The dogs
make this almost impossible. The winner of the point is whoever touches the
ball first. The humans never win this game, unless they use their hands,
which is against the rules.

Favorite Place to Sleep: Aiko's favorite place to sleep is on my
daughter Elizabeth's bed. That is also one of her important jobs: keeping
Elizabeth's whereabouts known. This is impossible though, as Elizabeth goes
to college for months at a time far away. In that case, Aiko sleeps alone
on the bed and is not at peace until she returns.

Special Skills or Responsibilities: Other duties include
keeping the house free of all insects at all times, not permitting any other
animals to touch my books and magazines (I can't explain this, but she
decided since I hold these things most of the time, they must be very dear
to me), and attacking fireworks as they explode in the air.

She is the best
friend I've ever had in a lifetime of dear friends: loyal, concerned,
intelligent, kind, sensitive, hardworking, silly, loving, and kind. She lives in Bothell, WA.

Pili

Breed: Cocker Spaniel (American)

Weight: 30 pounds

Gender: Female

Favorite Food: She has an unfortunate and expensive habit of eating our clothes!

Favorite Activities: Their favorite game is soccer ball
(see above).

Special Skills or Responsibilities: Pili's special skills include super-powered hearing, making Wookie sounds,
and being a diva.

Story: Pili is effervescent
and bubbly, which she further proves by leaping four feet in the air, ears
flying, to bite bubbles. She also attacks the vacuum, lawnmower, and most
scary, weedwackers. She was born with a heart defect and had open heart
surgery, which turned her from a quiet, lethargic puppy to a high-voltage
terror. Her new health, combined with Flint River, has made us wonder if we
should go back to moldy old dog food to save our sanity (and our clothes).

Special Skills or Responsibilities: Nina's special talents: smiling, carrying socks in her mouth
to keep herself from barking, and rump wrestling (she twirls in a circle and
knocks her opponent across the room with her rump).

Story: I am taking care of Pili and Nina because Morgan and Eldi (my daughter and son in law) just had their first baby and are sorting
that out. This is fine by everyone as the three dogs spend a lot of time
together and consider themselves a pack. They live in Seattle, WA.